Taking time to read the fine print

As a Student Career Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences Career Services Office, I have learned of many different opportunities that I otherwise would have overlooked. Sure there are flyers posted around Goldwin-Smith Hall and other buildings on the Arts Quad advertising upcoming events. The monthly newsletter for Arts and Sciences also notifies students of upcoming events related to careers and graduate schools. However, in my haste to check my emails each day or get to class as quickly as possible I often miss hearing about some of these events. That's why I was interested to learn about Wendy Gellman, a Cornell graduate, that came to speak to students on behalf of the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. I had received an email about an hour long breakfast with Wendy to hear about her experiences a few weeks prior to the actual event. Once again in my email checking frenzy I failed to read much more than the subject title of the email. It wasn't until I was at work a week later that I came across the sign-up sheet for the event. I knew that Wendy would be discussing topics related to the government sector but I wasn't sure how pertinent the information would be to me as a Spanish major. Despite my uncertainties I decided to attend the meeting. Before I even had a chance to ask a question, Wendy mentioned that Senator Gillibrand's office had recently done some important work with immigration issues. Suddenly I realized that I had been neglecting the important issue of working with the Hispanic and Latino communities on immigration issues. With my newfound knowledge and an application to apply for an internship in one of Senator Gillibrand's offices I felt inspired for next summer. So I advise all of my fellow busy Cornellians to take a few minutes each day to read the fine print, whether it be flyers on the poster boards of Goldwin Smith advertising research opportunities or the monthly Arts and Sciences e-newsletter. You never know what kind of advice you could receive from a visiting alumnus or alumna or from an upcoming internship panel.
~SCA Caroline

Career Exploration: Beyond "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe"

In the past few weeks, I have put more thought into my future career options than I probably did my entire freshman year. Sure, last year I thought about careers, but more in a worrying way than in a helpful one. ("What if I never get a good job? What if I go into huge debt for law school and hate being a lawyer? What if I just never advance because I pick the wrong career and then I find myself 45 and bored and wanting to leave everything behind and start a restaurant in Morocco, only I can't because I don't have any business skills and I can't cook?") I  latched onto the idea of being a lawyer not without thinking but without thinking much about other options.

After four appointments with career counselor Irene Komor, I found out a lot more about my personality, values, and career interests. I took a Myers-Briggs Temperament test and a Strong Interest Inventory. While I had hoped that taking these would be a eureka moment, I think I learned more from trying to decide if the test results really fit me and puzzling out what their career implications are. I was shocked to find that the number one career that came up in the Strong Interest Inventory was librarian. My first response to that was laughter, but Irene pointed out that there are many different opportunities for librarians, everywhere from grade schools to major research institutions, and that I might enjoy the intellectual challenge of helping people locate information they need. In the end, I realized that while a law career might suit me in many ways, other options I hadn't thought of before, like academic advising dean, university professor, or school counselor, might suit me just as well. My next task is to find out more about these types of careers. Luckily, I work in an office full of academic advisors, so it won't be hard to set up an appointment with one for an informational interview. Who knows, maybe I'll do the same with a librarian--as long as he or she promises not to shush me.

Freebies

If you're into free stuff, A&S Career Services has been updating it's library and is giving away older versions of some of the resources in our career library. They're sitting on the shelves outside of G55 Goldwin Smith so stop by to take one when you get the chance! And along those lines, one of the books sitting on the shelf is a comprehensive guide to conservation organizations worldwide - perfect for the environmental junkies. Unfortunately, for me, it lists only one organization in Australia and it was one that I've already checked out. However, I did have an epiphany after meeting with my advisor: just getting up and moving to a completely different country is a huge feat so I'm not going to worry about whether or not I end up at McDonald's. Even if I don't get a job that's relevant to my future career goals, I'll still gain valuable life experience and exposure to other cultures. So as far as developing a strategy goes, I will continue to look for internships abroad. Recently, I found a program called IAESTE, which is extremely similar to AIESEC. And if that fails, then I will try to apply for a work visa through BUNAC or some other program and just move to Australia and hope for the best. I will probably need to stop by Barnes Hall to talk to one of the career advisors there because they have advisors specializing in international jobs and in environmental careers. On a side note, while I'm making all these crazy life choices, I also need to figure out a way to convince my parents that I'm making a smart career move by moving halfway across the world just so I can work as a waitress. Fun stuff.

-Jessica